Ogden newspaper to be sold to a family newspaper company

SPECIAL TO THE STANDARD-EXAMINER

OGDEN — The Standard-Examiner is being sold to a West Virginia family newspaper company. The announcement was made Monday, April 23.

Ogden Newspapers will acquire the Standard-Examiner and standard.net website, as well as the newspaper’s office complex, state-of-the-art printing plant and related real estate at Business Depot Ogden from the Sandusky Newspaper Group, which has owned the Standard-Examiner since 1993.

“My family is extremely proud to be chosen as the successor publisher of the Standard-Examiner by the Sandusky Newspaper Group and the Rau and White Family,” Robert Nutting, CEO of Ogden Newspapers said. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to inherit the legacy of their impressive work, and we look forward to publishing a great community-focused newspaper and running a vital media platform to serve a city and region as dynamic as Ogden and Northern Utah.”

David Rau, CEO of Sandusky Newspapers, said, “We’re fortunate to be able to turn the paper over to another family company, owned by the Nutting family, who have demonstrated a record of editorial independence and local emphasis, and have a long-standing commitment to quality community journalism. We know they will be good stewards in the rapidly changing media world.

“Sandusky and Ogden Newspapers came to understand both operations at Ogden and Provo would have a stronger future if they were united under one company,” said Rau. “Common ownership makes good sense and will bolster not only the printed editions, but also the many mobile and online digital products we offer.

“I want to thank all of our employees over the years in publishing a newspaper that we can all be proud of,” Rau added.

Ogden Newspapers also owns The Daily Herald in Provo and The Pyramid in Mt. Pleasant, Utah. Ogden Newspapers and Ogden, Utah, were unrelated — despite the name — prior to this acquisition.

Ogden recently has been very active in the acquisition of newspapers.

“We continue to believe very strongly in the power of printed newspapers. We believe in their value to readers, advertisers and communities. We believe in the role of newspapers like the Standard-Examiner and credible online media outlets such as standard.net as fundamental to communities now more than ever,” Nutting said. “When you combine the print newspaper readership and its growing online readership with the range of targeted niche publications, the Standard-Examiner serves more readers and advertisers in Northern Utah than any other media outlet. The Standard-Examiner will continue to be the vital connection to the communities it serves, and it will deliver important value to its readers and advertisers.”

“Working together particularly with the Provo Daily Herald, the Standard-Examiner will be part of a much larger Utah-focused news gathering organization which will present an even stronger news report for all of our readers,” Nutting said.

Ogden Newspapers was founded by H.C. Ogden in 1890 when he began publishing Wheeling (W.Va.) News. The company currently publishes 45 daily newspapers in Hawaii, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia — in addition to Utah.

The company also has weekly newspapers, niche publications, and printing operations across the country and a magazine group including Mother Earth News. The Nutting family also owns Seven Springs Mountain Resort and Hidden Valley Resort in Pennsylvania and is the majority owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball franchise.

Sandusky has been in the publishing and media business since 1869, and owns six dailies and six weeklies, along with various digital businesses.